Penguins Plus/Minus

As our Penguins prepare to enter a brand-new era under Mike Sullivan, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on some pluses and minuses through the first third of the 2015-16 season.

It’s not meant to be an all-inclusive list. Obviously, players such as Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury deserve praise, as do the unsung defensive tandem of Brian Dumoulin and Ben Lovejoy. On the minus side, Kris Letang could be singled out. Perhaps Sidney Crosby, too.

Since I’ve already posted features on all of those players (except Letang), I thought I’d confine my comments to others who—good and bad—have drawn my attention.

Before I begin let me be clear. I have the utmost respect and admiration for anyone who plays professional hockey. Each of the players mentioned is an exceptional athlete who has achieved far more in his chosen profession than most of us (including me) dare dream.

I hope my comments—especially the minuses—will be viewed in proper context. The opinion of someone who loves the Penguins dearly and desperately wants them to succeed.

PLUS

Matt Cullen—When GM Jim Rutherford signed the 39-year-old Cullen last summer, I was baffled. Not that the Virginia, Minnesota native isn’t an accomplished player (222 NHL goals). But with prospect Oskar Sundqvist waiting in the wings, I felt JR could’ve used the $800K he’s paying Cullen to help fill a more pressing need on defense.

Cullen’s proven to be a bargain. Still an excellent skater despite his advanced age, he’s been terrific on draws (54%) and solid on the penalty kill. He’s a highly effective fourth-line center, too.

Just as important, No. 7’s provided veteran leadership.

Chris Kunitz—I was praying for a bounce-back season from Kunitz. Then the peppery 36-year-old winger opened the season on a seven-game pointless jag. Soon, he was demoted to the third line.

It looked like Kunitz was done. But the Ferris State grad kept banging (a team-high 114 hits) and hustling (a Corsi For Percentage of 51). His spirited play earned him a second look on Crosby’s flank.

Since reuniting with Sid, he’s been reborn. In the past five games Kuny’s a plus-7 with a goal and seven assists. Let’s hope he can keep it up.

Olli Maatta—The Penguins surprisingly rank fourth in the league in fewest goals allowed. Maatta’s a big reason why. At the callow age of 21, No. 3 has overcome injury and adversity to emerge as arguably the Penguins’ best defenseman.

Ultra-sound in his own zone (a team-best plus-9), the young Finn consistently makes the proper read and the correct play. Olli’s flashed some offense, too, notching four goals in 22 games. A double-figure pace over a full season.

The lone chink in his armor? His possession numbers could stand some improvement.

HONORABLE MENTION

Sergei Plotnikov—If Plotnikov had mustered more than two assists through his first 22 games, he’d be among my pluses. While the 25-year-old Russian is hardly the second coming of Gary Roberts as his KHL highlights suggest, Plotz has displayed a sled-dog tenacity and drive.

Putting his big frame (6’2” 205) to good use, he’s been a force along the boards and around the net. He’s an underrated passer, too. Especially in traffic. Not by coincidence, No. 61 leads the Pens with a Corsi For Percentage of 55.2 at even strength.

Now if he could only finish some of those chances he works so hard to create…

MINUS

Ian Cole—When the Pens acquired Cole from St. Louis at last season’s trade deadline for rugged Robert Bortuzzo, I was far from thrilled. Then the former No. 1 pick won me over with his ability to join the rush and willingness to play the man.

I’m not sure where that guy’s been. But I don’t think he’s wearing No. 28 for the black and gold this season.

In fairness to Cole, he’s been asked to fill a variety of roles while skating beside a veritable revolving door of partners. And he does lead the Pens with 60 blocked shots. But most of the time he seems to be back on his heels. Or fishing pucks out of his net (minus-12).

Rob Scuderi—I’m always loathe to criticize Scuderi, given what he’s meant to the franchise. (No Scuds equals no ’09 Cup.) Whatever his shortcomings, you never can fault his attitude or effort. And he still does an okay job of defending, albeit in confined spaces.

Once the attack’s been thwarted? There’s the rub. Without fail Scuderi’s first move is to slow the play down. Followed by a lateral pass to his partner. Talk about pouring Quikrete on your transition game.

He also—unintentionally—gums up the works when it comes to the defensive rotation. Scuderi’s lack of foot speed forced former coach Mike Johnston to pair him with a mobile partner (Letang or Maatta), often detracting from that player’s overall effectiveness.

Onerous contract be damned, the Long Island native should serve as a mentor and seventh defenseman. Nothing more.

David Warsofsky—During the preseason I was scanning the Pens’ roster when I noticed Warsofsky listed among the defensemen. I decided to look him up on Hockey-Reference. The first thing that struck me was his size. Or lack of (5’9” 170).

I questioned why an organization would sign a player who, in all likelihood, would never contribute at the NHL level. But when Maatta went down with an injury, guess who Rutherford called up?

Yup. Warsofsky.

It’s not that the Massachusetts native doesn’t possess some skill. He moves the puck well and does a decent job quarterbacking the power play.

Defending? That’s a different story. True, Warsofsky’s only played a handful of games. But he appears to be overmatched…if not downright overwhelmed…in his own end.